40 years ago today (3/3/86), Metallica unleashed their third album, Master of Puppets—the record that pushed them from underground heroes to global metal heavyweights. It was their first release on a major label and, tragically, the final album to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed later that year in a bus accident in Sweden during the tour.
Often cited as Metallica’s defining statement of the era, Master of Puppets remains one of the most influential heavy metal albums ever recorded. Revisit the moment by watching Metallica tear through “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” live in 1986 at Roskilde.